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Bucket Builder — Watch Your Buckets Fill

Your Contributions.
Your Buckets.
Your Future.

This tool is yours to explore before we meet. Enter what you’re contributing today, model a raise, and see exactly how your three buckets grow over time — including what a market crash does to each one.

3
Buckets · Every Dollar Taxed Differently
0%
Floor on Tax-Free Growth
3 Phases
From Building to Retirement Ready
Section 01

Your Current Picture

Enter your situation as it stands today. This becomes the baseline every projection runs from.

Used to calculate your taxable bucket target (3–6 months).

Current Monthly Contributions

Bucket 1 — Taxable
Pay Tax Now & Later
Savings accounts · Brokerage · CDs
Bucket 2 — Tax-Deferred
Pay Tax Later
401(k) · 403(b) · Traditional IRA · SEP
Bucket 3 — Tax-Free
Never Pay Tax Again
Roth IRA · Roth 401(k) · IUL · Indexed Strategy
Section 02

Model a Raise or Reallocation

Got a raise? Found extra cash flow? Enter the new monthly amount available and decide where to direct it. This is where the real strategy happens.

New Monthly Amount to Allocate
This is the additional amount — not your total. Just the new money to direct.
Direct to Taxable
Bucket 1
Direct to Tax-Deferred
Bucket 2
Direct to Tax-Free
Bucket 3
Allocated so far Enter amounts above
Section 03

Your Retirement Journey

Three phases. One destination. The goal isn’t just to save — it’s to shift your money toward the bucket that can’t be taxed away from you in retirement.

Where Are You on the Journey?
This dial shows the split between your Tax-Deferred and Tax-Free contributions. The further right you move, the more protected your retirement income becomes.
Phase 1
60/40
Phase 2
40/60
Phase 3
20/80
You
+Raise
Section 04

What If the Market Crashes?

A major market drop doesn’t affect all three buckets equally. Toggle the scenario below to see the difference — especially what the 0% floor in the Tax-Free bucket actually means in real dollars.

📉 Market Crash Scenario
Select a crash year below and see how a major market downturn affects each bucket differently. Tax-Deferred and Taxable take real losses. Tax-Free credits 0% — no loss, no recovery needed.
How this works: In the crash year, Tax-Deferred drops 38% (2008-level decline) and Taxable drops 30%. Both must then earn back those losses before compounding resumes. The Tax-Free bucket credits 0% that year — no loss, no recovery needed. Compounding continues from the same base the following year.
Section 05

Your Projection

Side-by-side: where your buckets land at retirement with your current contributions versus with your new allocation applied. Enter data in sections above to see results here.

📊
Enter your contributions above to see your projection
Important Disclosures

Money Tree Tax & Insurance Strategies is not a registered investment advisor. Ruth Erb is a licensed insurance producer. This material is for educational and illustrative purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice.

Projections are hypothetical and intended to evaluate structure and tax timing, not to predict investment results. Actual results will vary based on contributions, market performance, fees, and other factors.

Tax-Free rate (6.89%): Based on a 20-year historical average crediting rate for a S&P 500-linked indexed strategy with 0% floor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Policy costs, COI charges, and admin fees are not modeled and will reduce actual cash value. Consult a licensed producer for a fully illustrated projection.

Tax-Deferred rate (7.00%): Conservative blended estimate for a diversified portfolio. Actual returns depend on fund selection and market conditions.

Taxable rate (5.00%): Estimated after-tax blended return accounting for annual tax drag on dividends and capital gains. Actual returns will vary.

Market crash scenario: Tax-Deferred −38% modeled on the 2008 S&P 500 decline. Taxable −30% reflects a diversified portfolio scenario. Tax-Free credits 0% per the indexed strategy floor — no loss, no recovery required. These are illustrative scenarios, not predictions.